By Grace and Christina Caruso, daughters of Rotary Club of New York, New York, USA, members Paul and Gail Caruso

It was our first marathon experience, and one we chose to take on together. My sister Christina and I are not marathon runners, but fitness enthusiasts who believe you can do whatever you put your mind to do! This was our motto that led us to the finish line. (click below to read more)

Monday, July 30, 2012

The Luminarie De Cagna is an imposing cathedral-like structure that was recently on display at the 2012 Light Festival in Ghent, Belgium. The festival was host to almost 30 exhibitions including plenty of 3D projection mapping, fields of luminous flowers, and a glowing phone booth aquarium, however with 55,000 LEDs and towering 28 meters high the Luminarie De Cagna seems to have stolen the show.

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Imagine being the only driver on a two-lane asphalt highway as the stark desolation of Death Valley National park passes on each side and the crystal blue sky stretches up from the horizon.

Or picture a tight left turn on Yosemite's Glacier Point Road where in the east iconic Half Dome suddenly appears against a backdrop of the snow-capped High Sierra. (click below to read more)

Perspective: Of the world's 7 billion people, an estimated 2.6 billion do not have toilet access, and every day a reported 4,000 children die from sanitation-related illnesses. However, in May, in Portland, Ore., Douglas Eki and "Jason" Doctolero were awarded $332,000 for wrongful firing because they complained about being inconvenienced at work by not having an easily available toilet. Menzies Aviation had arranged for the men to use facilities at nearby businesses at their Portland International Airport site, but the men said they felt unwelcome at those places and continued to complain (and use buckets). One juror said afterward that having easy access to a toilet was a "basic human right," citing the "dignity (of) being able to go to the bathroom within 30 seconds or a minute." Said Doctolero, "Hopefully, no one will have to suffer what I went through." [The Oregonian, 5-21-2012]

Like RYLA in real life? Like us online too! RYLA has a newofficial Facebook page where Rotarians, RYLA participants, and former RYLA participants can share their experiences, exchange training materials, and talk about leadership. Promote this resource to current and former RYLA participants and RYLA volunteers in your district. Share the page with your Facebook friends to spread the word about how Rotary inspires the next generation of community leaders.

1996:Carl Lewis wins a gold medal in the long jump for the fourth time in as many Olympic Games. Track and field powerhouse Lewis brings his career total to nine gold medals, tying swimmer Mark Spitz as the American with the most Olympic golds.

1862: Confederate spy Marie Isabella "Belle" Boyd is captured by Union forces and imprisoned in the Old Capitol Prison. It is the first of three stints in prison for the charming 18-year-old spy, who passes secret information to Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson that allows the Confederates to win the Battle of Front Royal. Boyd would be captured again in 1864 by Capt. Samuel Hardinge, commander of a Union ship, but Boyd's charms would again work in her favor — she and Hardinge would run off to England and marry before the end of the Civil War.

1915: Honus Wagner of the Pittsburgh Pirates becomes the oldest player in Major League Baseball to hit a grand slam, when the 41-year-old shortstop hits a bases-loaded home run off Jeff Pfeffer of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Wagner's achievement would stand for almost 70 years until Tony Perez hit a grand slam in 1985 at age 42.

With a WeedWacker under his arm, Dan Kowalsky was at work trimming the median strip of U.S. Route 1 in suburban Westport, Conn., when he was asked, above the din: Why not use a scythe?

"You mean that Grim Reaper thing?" he yelled. "Can't get grass nice and short with that thing, nice and perfect."

People who scythe put up with a lot of Grim Reaper cracks. Then again, long-handled, crescent-bladed scythes don't use gas, don't get hot, don't make noise, do make for exercise, and do cut grass. (click below to read more)

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

One of the great all-time camp classics, and diva showdowns. Joan Crawford stars as a disabled woman mocked and tortured by her unhinged sister, a former child star played, with ferocity and glee, by Bette Davis. Her off-camera disdain for Crawford certainly didn’t hurt the final result here.

1932:Troops led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Maj. George S. Patton use tanks and tear gas against the Bonus Expeditionary Force, a group of World War I veterans and their families planning to march to the White House to demand immediate payment of their military bonuses. Members of the "Bonus Army" were demanding the early payment of wartime service certificates due to the poverty of the Great Depression.

1540: King Henry VIII of England marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, on the same day that Thomas Cromwell, one of the king's long-standing advisers and chief minister, is executed for treason. Howard herself would be executed two years later for treason on the grounds that she committed adultery.

1978: The college fraternity film classic Animal House, starring John Belushi as John "Bluto" Blutarsky, is released in theaters. It is the first film produced in affiliation with the college magazine National Lampoon, and features such memorable lines as "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

Friday, July 27, 2012

JUNEAU, Alaska — Sharon Gaiptman couldn't forget what a prison inmate told her two years ago. For the fourth of the prison population that is eligible for the event, it's also a rare day of fun that features motivational speakers, musical acts and even a fashion show.

Gaiptman said she struck up a conversation with an inmate and asked him if he liked the program. He said he did, but not for the usual reasons. He said he liked to see the flowers growing in the flower pots that are lined up to create a "runway" for the fashion show. (click below to read more)

Tug of war contested at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was later dropped from the Olympic program but remains a recognized sport. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tug of War

Unlike some of the other discontinued sports, tug of war had a fair amount of staying power; it made the program for every Olympics between 1900 and 1920. The sport was played in pretty much the same way you remember from grade-school field days, but it was also a magnet for Olympic controversies. (click below to read more)